INSECTS Butteries, bees, fliesand more...

A healthy watershed is alive with insect life. Butterflies, bees, flies, spiders, ladybugs, mosquitoes and more. Insects not only serve as food for larger insects, but also for most watershed wildlife, including fish. They also assist nature in the decomposing process.

A ladybug by Hoy Creek. (Photo: Ed Paulino)

Slugs help with the decomposition of plant life. Banana slug photo by Robbin Whachell / HSWS.

This little creature was spotted by Hoy Creek in March 2016. We think it's a cockroach stonefly nymph. It looks like it's emerging. They crawl out of the water and emerge as an adult. We believe the orange part shows where the exoskeleton was splitting on it's back to shed so it can emerge. It was approx. 4cm in length. (Photo: Rodney Lee / HSWS)